Daily Muse

If you limit your choices only to what seems possible or reasonable, you disconnect yourself from what you truly want, and all that is left is compromise.
Robert Fritz, 1943

Are you doing what you love? Does your work bring you happiness? Is your heart light and full of joy or are you laiden down? Are you living the life that is "practical?" A life that is "responsible?" When used in the context of describing someone's life, I find these words very depressing. They are depressing because inevitably it usually means that the person has succumbed to lead a limited life. They are holding back from doing what makes their heart sing and what they were brought here to do. You can be a responsible person who is also practical, but I encourage you not to sacrifice joy for what is practical. Yes, we cannot do everything at one time and yes, we have obligations that we are responsible for, but don't sacrifice your true passion because you are afraid or are told that your dreams, ideas aren't practical and won't yield you the money or will require you to be irresponsible. You can do what you love, live in harmony with yourself and still be responsible. So many people misunderstand this concept. They think Dreamers are fanciful, irresponsible people who live in a fantasy world. They don't live in the here and now. That is such a crock, I can't stand it. What about the person who created electricity or took us into space? What about the person who thought up the internet? Can you imagine the conversations among people 20 years ago about the idea of the internet? They would have thought you were crazy, living in a fantasy land. How will we ever advance if people are afraid to dream and to act on those dreams only because they have not been done and therefore are impractical. Well, guess what if it weren't for these people, we would still be living in caves or some where in a primative world. One of my MOST favorite ads that captures this message so brilliantly and succinctly is Apple's Ad Campaign: THINK DIFFERENT. I share it with you now to inspire you to tap into your potential, you hidden dreams....open your heart and your mind...free yourself to be the person you want to be, the person you are meant to be in all your glory.

THINK DIFFERENT

Here's to the crazy ones.
The misfits.
The rebels.
The troublemakers.
The round pegs in the square holes.
The ones who see things differently.
They're not fond of rules and they have no respect for the status quo.
You can praise them, disagree with them, quote them, disbelieve them, glorify or vilify them.
About the only thing you can't do is ignore them.
Because they change things.
They invent. They imagine. They heal.
They explore. They create. They inspire.
They push the human race forward.
Maybe they have to be crazy.
How else can you stare at a empty canvas and see a work of art?
Or sit in silence and hear a song that's never been written?
Or gaze at a red planet and see a laboratory on wheels?
We make tools for these kinds of people.
While some may see them as the crazy ones, we see genius.
Because the people who are crazy enough to think that they can change the world, are the ones who do.

I love, love, love this piece. It is so powerful because we all have the ability to tap our inner gifts to make a positive difference in the world. How would we ever move forward if we never allowed ourselves to maximize our potential? Each person has the opportunity to make a valuable contribution to the well being of our global community.

Don't compromise yourself or your potential. Don't let others' fears or words or visions for you inhibit you from pursuing the life you are meant to pursue. There is no need to compromise your happiness. You are a gift from God.

Daily Muse

Find the Light

Find the light within yourself. So many people I talk to have lost sight of who they are and what really matters to them. When I ask them "what is your passion?" I get a blank stare. They say that they have been so caught up in life that they don't even remember what they enjoy doing, what hobbies interest them. They have become lightless beings just moving through life not following their passion or feeling happiness. It is so easy to get caught up in the busyness of life and to sacrifice that which we were born to do. Stop. Stop right now. Step back from your life. Seek a quite place that brings you peace and joy. Maybe that is the water, the woods, the mountains. Where ever you feel calm and at one with yourself, go to that place. Be still. Just focus on your breathing. Ask for devine guidance. Let all the busyness of life drain from your mind. This may take some time as we can be wound so tight. This one exercise of letting go and clearing your mind is very cathartic. It will allow you to find yourself, to identify your passions and see the light within yourself. Your life's desires are not lost, they are just shrouded in the busyness of life. Seeking solace and asking for devine guidance will lead you to the path of inner joy and happiness. If you continue to make this time for yourself, you will find the light within yourself and thus unleash all the marvelous gifts you have been given. Tapping into this powerful source of light energy, you will have the opportunity to make great, positive changes in the world. Make the time for yourself. You deserve it and the world needs your gifts to grow.

Dance Into the Light

Come dance with me. Dance into the light. Don't be afraid to let yourself shine. This is your one chance, your one life to shine like the star who you are. So many of us allow ourselves to be shrowded in darkness...the darkness that is comprised of other's fears, preconceived ideas of who and what we should be, it's the unknown. You have been blessed with many special gifts and you mustn't allow the collective conscience we call Society dictate how you use those gifts. Only you know how to tap into the special talents you have been born with. These gifts from God are what will propel you into a joyous life filled with love, peace and harmony. If you tap into your inner powers you can accomplish amazing things...things that will even surprise you. One of the keys to life it to be brave enough to tap into your inner self and share those gifts with the world. So I say to you, come join me and dance into the light.

The Daily Muse

Kindness is the language which the deaf can hear and the blind can see.
Mark Twain

Kindness.

Kindess is such a simple notion, but many choose not to share it. Why is that? It is so much easier to be kind, than to be cruel. Don't you see the immediate positive effects you have when you are kind? Doesn't it feel so good when your kindness is appreciated? Yes, it feels awful, too, when your kindness is not appreciated. I have so many stories to share with you on this subject that I could be here all day writing away story after story. However, I will try to keep it relatively short for now and share just a few.

Did you know that "The shortest distance between to people is a smile?" That is such a fantastic quote I read some where, but do not recall who said it. Isn't it true? You can be walking down the street, smile at a complete stranger and guess what they smile back. Ok. Not always, but it is such an easy way to show kindness, just by smiling at someone and acknowledging their presence. Don't we all want to be acknowledged? To know that we are not moving through this world unnoticed?

When I was in high school I use to take the T in Boston for various visits. I loved to smile at people. I just loved to catch them off guard with this bright smiling face and elicit a smile from them. It was like a game that brought joy to me. I would sit on the train looking at people, wondering why the scowl on their face, what their day was like, where had they been and where were they going. I thought if I can just catch their eye and send them a smile, maybe that would brighten their day and lighten their load a little. It always made me feel good to get someone to smile.

Hm. That reminds me about another story. When I was in the thick of things with my own business, I use to offer consulting sessions on a variety of things, such as business development, career development, etc. At the heart of each matter, I wanted to know what the person was passionate about in order to help them direct their energies in the proper place. It astounded me that when I asked "What is your passion" my question was met with a blank stare. I asked again, "What do you like to do?" Same blank stare. Hm. Ok. I got it. What if I asked the question this way, "What makes you smile?" WOW! Did that question elicit incredible responses and people's hearts opened wide. Such a simple thing -- Smiling. It is a gift for yourself and a great gift to share with someone else.

Why is it then, that so many people do not choose to be kind? It is SO EASY and it benefits everyone. I remember as a 12 year old child learning what it meant to be a "bitch." I was so excited to go to overnight camp. Of course, I was nervous too. I naturally liked to help people. Well, one day at camp I offered to help a gal make her bed and she turned to me and said, "Why are you so nice? You are too nice." Stunned by her comment, I just stood there. I thought to myself almost in slow motion, what do you mean "too nice?" Is there such a thing? Why wouldn't I be nice? Of course I would be nice. This way of being was just engrained in me. It was who I was and still am. Unfortunately and fortunately through my years at summer camp I learned how to be not so nice and to disregard and ignore those who treated me poorly. And what was so sad is that when I ignored them and treated them the way they treated me, they actually seemed to like me more. Despite this learning experience, I did continue to be nice to people, but I was careful not to be "too nice" to certain people. Well, surprise of all surprises came at the end of the summer of my camper days before I moved on to being a counselor. I was given the highest award in Senior Camp for overall excellence .... from my peers. I guess in the end kindness won out.

However, this disturbing notion of being "too nice" has popped up through out my life. In business, I swear people misinterpreted my "kindess for weakness." For those of you who think this way, let me tell you kind people are not weak. They are not push overs. Enjoy the kindness they show you, because it is a precious gift that few others will share with you.

Not too long ago, I was working at a company where a woman was going on and on about how she yelled at this person and put him in his place, etc. Some of my co-workers looked on with excitement and thought this was so cool. I looked on with disgust and sadness. Why do people have to behave that way? Do they have to act that way to get approval from others? Do people see that type of behavior as a source of power and control? Don't they realize that they are hurting themselves in the end? Well, shortly after that get together, one of my colleagues came up to me and asked if that display of behavior was what we needed to get ahead? As a woman do we need to behave like that to gain respect? My answer to her was no. Sadly, I have had the same question many times through out my life...in moments when I felt weak and isolated and saw how that unkind behavior was almost rewarded. But, just as I told my colleague that that type of behavior is not what will help you grow or get ahead, I believe it to be true that kindness will always win out. This is not to say that some times you have to be firm about what you want. You just do not have to act that way. Contrary to what may appear to be approval, acting in an unkind way is actually detrimental to a person and the persons to whom they are being cruel. Inevitably, it will catch up with you. That negative energy will trap you. It is your fears, your insecurities manifesting themselves in this behavior.

Kindness is strength. It demonstrates self confidence and maturity.
Unkind or cruel behavior demonstrates weakness.

A Simple Act of Kindess
Have you ever been cut off by another car? Has that act elevated your blood pressure and elicited some choice words for your offender? Well, maybe that person did not mean to cut you off. I was at the gym recently and a woman I have befriended told me the most awesome story of a simple act of kindess. This is a true story. She was driving to a fast food place for lunch and someone cut her off. After ordering her food, she proceeded to the window to pay for her lunch. When she asked the clerk how much she owed, the person told her that the woman in front of her had already paid for her lunch. In that moment, she realized that the woman who paid for her lunch was the woman who cut her off. Wow. Isn't that powerful? Can you believe that someone would actually do that? Instead of making some obscene hand gestures or shouting some choice words to defend their mistake of cutting you off, this person displayed a powerful act of kindness by buying the woman lunch to show her apologies for a mistake she made.

So simple, yet so powerful.

Mark Twain's words eloquently convey the power of kindness:
"Kindess is the language which the deaf can hear and the blind can see."

You can feel the positive effects of kindess reverberate in your heart and envelope your being. It moves you forward. Try it. You may just like it. Be a little more kind, even when you really don't want to. The results may positively suprise you.

The Daily Muse

The Little Voice

Can you hear it?
Can you hear that little voice whispering to you? It calls you by name. It knows your deepest desires. It reminds you, some times at the strangest times, of what you envision for your life.
It speaks to you, "Come with me and I will show you the way. Do not be afraid for I have your greatest desires at heart. I will light the way for you. But, you must be willing to listen and to hear what I am saying. Though I represent your depest desires, it is some times hard to hear and take heed of my little voice because it has been shroweded in fear, expectation, preconception. But, if you listen to the little voice, you will know the greatest joy in life because you will live exactly in tune with your being."

Powerful.

Some call this voice, your gut or your guardian angels looking out for you. Regardless of what you call it, this little voice represents a deep sense of knowing oneself.

So many times my little voice spoke to me, warned me, guided me, but I did not listen. Time passed. I heard it. I ignored it because I thought it was my head making things up and how could I possibly know something based on this "gut feeling" or this "little voice" inside of me? Especially when the voice whispered something I did not want to hear, I ignored it, rationalizing it away. But, the voice grew louder and louder. I really felt some times that bricks were being thrown at me and my guardian angels were saying, "Hello. Are you listening?" Every time I stopped, listened and acted on my little voice, it showed me the exact path I needed to take and that no matter how painful or challenging or simple the request, I was always in a better place than where I started.

The Daily Muse

Trust thyself: every heart vibrates to that iron string.
Ralph Waldo Emerson

What does your heart tell you?

For in your heart lies your deepest desires for life, love, service. It is your heart that knows you best, not your mind, not society, not others. Be true to yourself when searching for the meaning of your life. Sit still. Be quiet. What do you feel? Quell the voices in your head. Breath, deeply, slowly. You can feel it. You can feel in your heart whatever it is that you are looking for. I know this to be true, as I sit hear and write to you I can feel my heart's burning desire to write, to share, to speak, to inspire, to encourage others to do what they are meant to do. I want to help people. I want to show them the way. I want to cast light on their darkness and hope on their doubts. It is so easy to succumb to other's desires and to ignore our own. But, by doing so, we cheat ourselves, our families, friends, and community. Life is but a glimpse. Before we know it, we will have passed over. So, I say to you in the great words of William Shakespeare:

"To thine own self be true,
And it must follow, as the night the day,
Thou canst not then be false to any man."

The Daily Muse

Do not wait; the time will never be "just right." Start where you stand, and work with whatever tools you may have at your command, and better tools will be found as you go along. Napoleon Hill


How do I begin?

Have you ever wondered how to begin something? Have you ever had this great idea, but did not know how to begin? To start? To do what you wanted to do?

Well, I can say, that I have had this experience and this thought for SOOO many things in my life. I get an idea and then I get stuck. Yup. I fall right into a rut. That rut is fear. Fear of failure. Fear of the unknown. Fear that I don't have the "right" experience or the "right" credentials. Fear that I don't have the money to support this idea or the tools or the resources....bla bla bla....the excuses are many, but the bottom line is fear.

Doesn't is seem so silly that just beginning something is so difficult? I mean, weren't we taught to "put one foot in front of the other" and to just start?

I remember very clearly a conversation I had with a former professor at my college. Since the days as her student, I expressed a deep desire to own my own company. After graduation I took the "traditional path" and looked for work with someone else. I found myself in many different jobs that were all so disappointing. The desire to run my own company knawed at me. I could feel it pulling at the pit of my stomach, turning and calling to me. But, I ignored it. Don't be silly, I thought. You don't know how to start a company. You don't have an MBA. What makes you think that YOU could start a company?

Hm. Well, fast forward many years later, I find myself on the phone with my former professor and I tell her that I still want to start my own company. And she says to me, "just do it. " What? What do you mean, just do it? She said again, "just do it." Yes, I heard you, but how do you begin? She said, "you just start." Again, yes, but how? How do I start? Where do I begin? I wrestled with that advice and those thoughts for another year. I took a baby step closer by accepting another job that required me to work more independently and be responsible for revenue and my livelihood. I called my professor and told her that I took this new job and her silence spoke volumes. I could hear her thoughts, why didn't you just start your company? You have all the capability and more to do this. After a few minutes, she said that's great. But, I know she was disappointed for me. She still encouraged me to keep my dreams alive.

Another year passes.
I hate this new job. I knew from the moment I started it that it was wrong. I tried to convince myself that it would be good for me. I would learn something new. Yes, me the cheerleader, miss enthusiastic could sell Life Insurance to people. "Alright! Do I have a life insurance policy for you!" Despite the fact that this job was not well suited to my personality or dreams, I did learn something new that helped me later on with my company, benefits, etc. I also learned more about myself and what I really wanted to do.

I thought about what my professor said, "just do it." Just start. I thought a lot about it. I spoke to lots of people for their opinions and advice on "how to begin." And low and behold, I did begin. It was very exciting and very scary, but I did it. I loved my business. It made my heart sing, but something was not right about the model. I just couldn't get it straight. Whatever I tried to do, it just did not go to the financial place I wanted it to go. So, after a few years of serious thought (yes, I operate in years not days or minutes...I exhaust every avenue...I can't let it go, until I have exhausted myself.) and exhausting myself, I decided to take a hiatus. I just stopped one day. I could not do it any more. I had wrapped up all the projects I was working on and just stopped. Silence.

Emails came. I read them all. In my mind, I responded to them, but physically I literally could not write a note even acknowledging that I received the message. I felt terrible. I chastised myself - what a bad leader, what a poor example I am setting...you can't just not say anything...you can't just stop...you are letting people down. This conversation has run through my head for, you got it -- a year. And now, here I sit after another year of working at a job I did not like wondering "how do I begin" my lifes work?

How do I begin writing and speaking and inspiring people? Do I write a book? How long will that take? What is the process? Do I write for a magazine? Will they even respond to me? Why would they want to publish my writings? I don't have the credentials. I have never "formally" written anything - that is, for a magazine or a book. I have had this idea of starting a blog, which is something I recently learned about at my last job.

Quick aside -- I do believe that everything happens for a reason and no matter how painful or disappointing an experience is, there is ALWAYS something to be learned from it. And there is ALWAYS a reason why it happened. You may not know now or even in a few years why it happened, but I promise you will figure it out at some point. You just have to ask for the answer.

So, How do I begin this blog?
Who would want to read it? What do I write about? I feel so strongly that what I write must be authentic. It must come from real life experience. It must be completely open and honest. GASP! What if I write something that someone could use against me? What if no one ever reads my blog? What if I disappoint people because my blog is not pretty with all kinds of eye catching graphics? What if I can't come up with compelling content EVERY DAY? SIGH.

Ok. Let me play around with this technology. Let me just see what it is all about. Wait. Months pass. Wait. Ok. I start. I create this blog. Ugh. It is SO PLAIN. Frustrations sinks in. I need a graphic designer. I don't know anything about coding or web design. AH. I don't have the money to pay someone. Hm. Maybe I am suppose to keep it simple. Maybe it is not suppose to be fancy and eye catching. Maybe I am suppose to show others that you can begin with something simple and not have to have it PERFECT right now. No, no, no. I couldn't do that. OF COURSE it has to be GREAT right away. Who would come back to it? So, I wait. The excuses mount...oh, I don't have enough time...oh, it is so plain...oh, I couldn't write something every day...oh, I need to find other writers....oh, what would I ask them to write about?

I wait another few months. You can see this process as you look to the December Archives on this blog. I wrote one quick test entry in December and then I dropped it until a couple of days ago. I clicked on my blog. Oh, it is so boring. What can I do to spruce it up? Same thoughts, fears, concerns played in my mind ... over and over and over again. I left it again. This time only for a few days. I had begun to speak with a few close colleagues and an author I met. I told them that I really, really, really want to write and speak. I feel so strongly that this is my destiny. I want to motivate people. I want to share life experiences to inspire them, to encourage them, to let them know they are not alone. There are so many thoughts I want to share that my fingers can't possibly keep up with my mind as it spins a mile a minute.

The message is clear: Just do it. Just start.

GASP! How?

Well, slowly, slowly, I let myself meditate on that concept "just start." The author says to me, all writers no matter how much they have published, confront beginning. The solution is always the same, just sit your butt down and start writing.

An email pops up on my screen from a friend who I discussed this with. The subject line simply reads: "Writing yet?" Her email suggests that I find my favorite pen and just begin writing.

Surfing the web last night, I find an amazing quote by one of my favorite authors, Emerson (see top of this entry). It reinforces all the messages and my gut instinct. It calls to me, just start. Don't worry about the rest, just begin and it will all come together.

The phone rings today. It is one of my dearest, most treasured confidants who guides me on so many things in my life. She says, "just do it." She encourages me to just start. To not worry about perfection or content or design or what people will think. She knows in my heart that this has been brewing for a long time. We thoroughly discuss this process and the importance of sharing this stage...overcoming my fears, finding the courage and just beginning by writing...keeping it simple...writing from my heart...writing about the experience. Her words and encouragement free me. They give me context. They give me a framework and a starting point. This time, I can HEAR the answer "just begin" and I KNOW "how to begin." I just begin by doing what I love and want to do....I just begin by writing this entry.

Begin doing what you love today. Don't hesitate. Don't fall into the rut of what you are suppose to do. Don't be afraid. Don't let fear consume you and rob you of your true happiness. Of course, I am not suggesting that you do something drastic that will negatively impact your life, rather I am suggesting that you just take simple steps to do what will make your heart sing. You don't have to create an award winning masterpiece today. The importance is that you just begin. Do it for yourself. Don't do it for others. Do as the lyrics in Leann Rhymes' song I Hope You Dance says: "Dance like no one is watching you." Do what you want to do as if no one is watching you, as if you did not need it to make you money. Make the time. This is your life and time is fleeting. Don't spend years like I did waiting for the "right time" for everything to be perfect. The world is waiting for you--now, to actualize your dreams to share your ideas and your visions.